β-Adrenoreceptor participation in the formation of the thermoregulatory and immune responses under the effect of rapid deep cooling

The effect of β-adrenoantagonist (obzidan) iontophoresis to skin on the thermoregulatory response and immune response to antigen was analyzed to elucidate the significance of β-adrenoceptors in formation of these responses at deep rapid cooling in rats.

On the background of β-adrenoceptors blockade in thermoneutral conditions the skin and core temperatures decreases; at rapid cooling non-shivering thermogenesis is attenuated and shivering thermogenesis is considerably enhanced.

Administration of β-adrenoantagonist affect the modulating influence of cold exposure on the immune response—the immunosuppressive effect of deep cooling on the immune response is abolished. This concerns both antigen binding function of spleen and peritoneal cells and antibody formation.

The results support the idea that β-adrenoceptors participates in the processes of the stimulation of thermogenesis and suppression of the immune response to antigen at rapid deep cooling.